Hey-

I have had this nasty knocking / clicking noise from the rear (and occasionally the front). Took it into the dealer, and they said it was pad shift. I am not sure if I believe this, as sometimes it can be heard from 10' away (HEAVY knock). Only happens when brake is applied, and especially when changing directions. The dealer performed the Rear Hub Nut TSB, and it is still there. After it was performed, the clicking stopped when just changing directions (using clutch and throttle from reverse to first) and now happens exclusively when braking is applied. Only happens at low speeds (under 20mph). It does not happen all the time, either. About 3/4 of the time at slow speeds (drive throughs, stop and go traffic, etc) and goes away once the car has been driven for 10 minutes straight. (Engine can be warm, but car just started (coming from class), and it will happen).

Dealer told me it was pad shift, and is in inherent flaw in the brake design, and that ALL S2000's have it (though I have yet to hear another one make this noise). Is it true that S2000 have a problem with pad shift? How can I fix it (short of getting a new brake kit? The pads are brand new, as the dealer replaced the rear calipers and pads to attempt to fix this problem a month or so ago.

Thanks

John

 

I had a rattling/clicking noise from my brakes recently. After replacing/retorquing the rear hub nuts, the dealer also told me that it was due to pad shift.

About a week later, I was changing my brakes. As soon as I took the front brake off, a big ass pebble came tumbling out of it.

Not saying that this is the culprit in your case, but it's a possibility and your symptoms sound pretty similar. In my case, I only really heard the click as I applied the brakes and came to a stop. Every so often I'd hear it as I began accelerating, but that was much less frequent.

 

I'd check to see if the copper shims that go on the caliper are still there (the ones the brake slides against). Perhaps a previous brake job might have lost them. I haven't heard of any problems with pad shift on this car (atleast not common). When the car is cold, take the pads out and see exactly how much room is there. For a loud knock, there should be enough room in the pad to feel.

 

I tried feeling last week, and I cant even get a playing card between the rotor and the pad. What do the copper shims look like and where are they located? Any chance of some pics? I will look for those this weekend.

It is just CRAZY annoying. I bought this car as a Certified car, which is basically saying "It's used, but like new." I dont think the flagship of the Honda lineup would have such a defect. I am proud of this car, but get kind of embarassed when this happens in public and people look.

thanks

John

 

The shims are hard to describe. If you take your brakes pads off, there should be two of the shims still on the caliper. One on the top and one on the bottom. They both have a U groove in them for the pad to slide back and forth on and they both hang over the sides of the caliper by just a bit. Look at your pad. There's a little nipple like extension on both ends. That bit should slide into the shims I'm talking about. If you put the pad in and it's just touching caliper only, then you're missing stuff.

 

If it is a certified car then bug them until they honor the warranty!

 

Already done. They told me its normal and to live with it. I am thinking of bringing it to a local shop, that is unaffiliated with Honda, and get their opinion....maybe even a brake specialist. Then if they tell me there is something missing / wrong, I will go back to Honda, with something in writing, and tell them to fix it. Gotta hate corporate beaurocracy.

John

 

Did you check to see if your spare tire was tight? This most likely isn't the noise, just trying to think of something that may help

 

I now have an '04 with 8000 miles, "Honda Certified" when I got it with 6000 miles, and have a similar random noise as you do, at least from your description. The noise on mine was coming more from the front. It is starting to get embarrassing when slowly rolling into public areas, parking lots, etc.

I took it to the dealer yesterday and found out two things:

1) I have a broken/loose front swaybar end connector (that will be replaced when the part comes in next week).

2) I randomly happened across an article on the maintenance wall while waiting - it was a directive to all mechanics to inform customers of a proprietary characteristic clicking that can come from pad shifting on all Hondas (except a few, but can't remember).

You could always suggest having the sway bar ends checked if you can't end up diagnosing the problem.

Hope this helps.

 

I've had pad shift on one or two of our cars. I'm not sure if "mr. flying s2000" is describing what Honda is referring to. Honda interpets Pad Shift as the pad moving parallel to the surface of the roter "side to side". As it shifts, it "clicks" against the sides of the calipers. When you apply the brake, the pad moves inward to clamp the roter (normal), once it grabs. the rotation of the diec moves the pad into the caliper guides. MDXs are notorious for this since they have the most play between the the pad and caliper.





(Cyclone, I only mentioned your flying incident cause I LOVED your attitude and your story!)